The time of year has come again when the best teams in Europe battle it out for glory. This yearly European competition begins in the summer and ends usually in May of the next year.

The location in which the final match takes place changes every year. However, the rest of the matches are played both at home and away for all teams. This year, the teams left standing are PSG (Paris Saint German), Bayern Munich, Milan, Tottenham, Club Brugge, Benefica, Dortmund, Chelsea, Liverpool, Madrid, Frankfurt, and Napoli. From the looks of it, any of the teams have a shot at winning.

However, this Champions League is different. After taking a long international break, three months due to the World Cup, the teams are looking to return to competition.

In my opinion, the two favorites this year are Manchester City and PSG.  These two teams are powerhouses in their respective leagues. Although Man City isn’t leading their league, they have the manpower to beat any team. PSG is dominating their league with a whopping 12-point lead as they have 63 points as of March 7.

Another team coming in hungry is Real Madrid as they look to run it back and become back-to-back champions. Although they are in 2nd place in La Liga, they have proven to be tough under pressure and are some of the best underdogs the Champions League has had during a season. Last year they had an incredible run facing PSG, Chelsea, Man City, and Liverpool before lifting the cup. They played very talented teams and were led by a dominant Karim Benzema.

PSG is one of the favorites and is led by Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar. These three make a dominant front line and are some of the best players in their positions. Kylian Mbappe is coming off a dominant World Cup last winter where he scored a hat trick in the final which hadn’t been done in decades. Although he scored three goals, he came short of Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Messi scored a brace and won the Golden Boot in the World Cup tournament. Many view him as the “GOAT” (greatest of all time) after this accomplishment.

I then interviewed BCCHS student Ronaldo Mendez (11). I asked him who he thought was going to win the tournament. He answered, “I believe PSG will take it all. This is their year because of all the star power they have. From the goalie, all the way to the forward line, their squad is unbeatable in my opinion.” I then asked him who he thought would be the dark horses of the tournament and he stated, “I believe it will be Napoli as they are leading their league and nobody has faith in them winning. I’ve seen their games and the chemistry they have is unmatched.”

Without a doubt, this Champions League will be an interesting one due to the break. There are many teams that have a shot at the title, but without a doubt, everyone will have their eyes on the teams I already mentioned. Everyone will have their eyes on this tournament as this is the biggest soccer accolade outside of achieving the World Cup.